Golf putter top cover and alignment means

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a device and method for protecting the top of a putter club head. The surface is protected by a piece of adhesive backed tape that is positioned entirely on the surface of the top with a straight front edge positioned parallel and behind the club head top line.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method for protecting the top of a golf putter and providing alignment, a logo, writing, or the like for viewing by the golfer. In particular, the present invention relates to a protective adhesive backed coating placed on the top of a putter.

2. Description of Related Art

The game of golf utilizes a number of different clubs. There are three basic types of golf clubs; drivers, irons and the putter. Within each group of golf clubs differences are mainly to the angle of the face which contributes to the loft angle of the ball when struck and the shape of the golf club head. A putter is the only club that is designed to not loft the ball but rather to cause it to roll on the ground. According, while a putter can have a face up to 10 degrees and be called a putter, normally, little or no angle is utilized on the putter. Drivers and most irons require a full swing, and those irons used for chipping require something resembling a half swing that causes it to both loft into the air and then roll. The putter, on the other hand, is designed for a slow swing with very little back movement, perhaps a quarter swing or less, depending on how far the ball is to be hit.

Out of all the golf clubs types, putter heads come in the widest variety of shapes, all trying to rearrange the center of gravity, attempting to control how the ball is hit, and to encourage a repeatable striking of the ball. Many clubs provide an alignment mark so that the golf ball can be struck with the center of the face of the club. Unlike their counterpart, other clubs which tend to have a curved top line, the line where the top of the club head and striking face meet, the putter top line is generally a straight line. Likewise, the top of the putter club head tends to be flat and rectangular unlike many clubs especially drivers which have both a very curved top line and a sloping curved club head top or irons which have a very narrow top and slightly sloped line.

Problems with putters that do not exist with other club heads are first, while the centerline alignment mark on a putter is generally good for most situations, there are times when striking the ball off that centerline mark is desirable. However, clubs generally do not provide marks other than the centerline mark since it would require an infinite number of marks to accommodate all golfers. Second, the centerline mark on many putters (or the putter head itself) is difficult to see during the act of putting and keeping ones “eye on the ball”. Third, because of the unusual shape of the putter, the top of the putter behind the top line rather than the top line area itself of a driver, tends to be nicked and scuffed from other clubs in the golf bag, the golf bag, and general use, rather than mis-strike of the top line and fly off in the wrong direction as would happen with a driver.

There have been attempts to protect the top line and upper face of drivers from being nicked and scratched during use that have been around for several years. Nothing is available specifically for putters. However, driver protectors are designed to be utilized on at least a portion of the face of the club, thus affecting at least to some degree the strike of the club. In addition, because of the very curved nature of the driver club designing and applying a protective means is difficult or impossible without designing cutouts, the shape, or for each curve of a driver club and even then to require great care in its application to the club to keep the appliqué from bunching up.

Only recently has any attempt been made to address the putter alignment issue and nothing regarding the prevention of nicks and scratches on the top of the putter. US patent application 2009/0054172 was published Feb. 26, 2009 to Meehan. The basic invention involved magnets or some form of magnetic tape, however, the exact method of use and description of the invention was not clearly presented and the Patent Office rejected the application as not presenting a complete operative device. The device appeared to need to be different for each putter design as well as a club head made of a magnetic material such as iron. The application was abandoned without any clarification of what the invention actually was but it did reinforce that golfer putter alignment is a current issue even though putters have been used for over 100 years.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method and a putter with a device for providing protection to the top of a putter from accidental damage, a means aiding the focus of the eye on the top of the putter while simultaneously keeping the eye on the ball and a means for placing additional alignment marks that can be added easily and without worrying about the multitude of club shapes or any difficulty in properly applying the device.

In one embodiment of the present invention, there is a golf putter having a straight top line and a protective coating on the top of the putter, the coating comprising: a piece of polymeric tape having a removable adhesive side and an opposing non-adhesive side, the tape adhered to the top of the putter by the adhesive side and having a front long side edge that is straight and positioned parallel to and behind the putter top line, wherein the tape covers at least a portion of the top surface of the putter and no other surface of the putter.

In another embodiment of the present invention there is a method for providing a golf putter with a straight top line with a protective coating on the top of the putter comprising:

-   -   a) selecting a piece of polymeric tape having a removable         adhesive side and an opposing non-adhesive side and a front long         side edge that is no greater in size than the top of the putter;     -   b) positioning the tape on the top of the putter with the         adhesive side against a surface of the top of the putter with         the front long side edge positioned behind and parallel to the         putter top line in a manner that the entire piece of tape is         positioned solely on the top of the putter; and     -   c) pressing on the non adhesive side to engage the adhesive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 a and c are putters of the present invention with a putting alignment marks.

FIG. 1 b is a putter wherein the tape has rounded edges and dots which could be decorative or for putting alignment.

FIG. 1 d is a putter with tape having a decorative picture which focuses the eye and protects the top of the putter.

FIG. 2 shows the process of applying the tape to the putter and aligning it with the top line of the putter head.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While this invention is susceptible to embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail specific embodiments, with the understanding that the present disclosure of such embodiments is to be considered as an example of the principles and not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments shown and described. In the description below, like reference numerals are used to describe the same, similar or corresponding parts in the several views of the drawings. This detailed description defines the meaning of the terms used herein and specifically describes embodiments in order for those skilled in the art to practice the invention.

The terms “a” or “an”, as used herein, are defined as one or as more than one. The term “plurality”, as used herein, is defined as two or as more than two. The term “another”, as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms “including” and/or “having”, as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The term “coupled”, as used herein, is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically.

Reference throughout this document to “one embodiment”, “certain embodiments”, and “an embodiment” or similar terms means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of such phrases or in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments without limitation.

The term “or” as used herein is to be interpreted as an inclusive or meaning any one or any combination. Therefore, “A, B or C” means any of the following: “A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B and C”. An exception to this definition will occur only when a combination of elements, functions, steps or acts are in some way inherently mutually exclusive.

The drawings featured in the figures are for the purpose of illustrating certain convenient embodiments of the present invention, and are not to be considered as limitation thereto. Term “means” preceding a present participle of an operation indicates a desired function for which there is one or more embodiments, i.e., one or more methods, devices, or apparatuses for achieving the desired function and that one skilled in the art could select from these or their equivalent in view of the disclosure herein and use of the term “means” is not intended to be limiting.

As used herein a “golf putter” is a golf club having a head with a straight top line and having an angle to its face of less than 10% wherein the club is designed for putting or rolling the ball on the putting green of a golf course without loft to the ball. The top line of the club is the intersection of the top of the putter and the face of the putter. Most golf putters have a weighted back of the putter positioned behind the top of the putter and lower than the top of the putter designed for creating a desired center of gravity in the club head.

As used herein “polymeric tape” is a tape primarily made of vinyl or other polymeric material that is relatively thin (i.e. of the thickness of surgical or medical tapes or less) and consist of one of more layers of material. The polymeric material should be a waterproof material and durability is of concern when selecting the desired polymeric material. The tape has two long edges and two short edges. Further the front long side edge is straight and smooth with no cut outs needed for conforming to contours or placement behind the top line which would add to difficulty in aligning with the top line of the club head when applying and difficulty in keeping the tape on the club head. The other sides of the tape can be straight or curved as desired. Examples can be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,894,204 incorporated herein by reference. The polymeric tape can include other materials such as fabrics, colorants plasticizers and anything else to make a useful tape. Other useful products that are on the market include, for example, SWINGShield manufactured by VentureTape Corp in Rockland Mass. The tape can be a stretchable or non-stretchable material and even be of the stretch release type, if desired.

The tape on one side, the underside, will have an adhesive material for attaching the tape to the top of the golf head. The material can be one that is quick release but should be firmly enough attached to not come off easily with one or two uses. Where the tape is sold as a separate article for attaching to the golf club a non-stick removable backing can be utilized to keep the adhesive backing sticky similar to the backing on a band-aid. The adhesive is one that attaches to a metal but is relatively easy to remove if the tape needs to be replaced from time to time due to damage of the tape. Those types of adhesives are within the skill in the art.

The top side, the side opposite the adhesive side, has is a non-adhesive surface. It can be a clear tape or this side can be color either applied or throughout the tape material itself. In one embodiment, it is markable such that the user can mark the tape with their own putter alignment marks, ID marks, logos, or other marks as desired. In other embodiments it is printed on with a particular design such as a logo, art design, alignment marks, words, and the like as desired. At least one of the long edges of the tape, the font long side edge, has a straight edge. The opposite long edge and two short edges can be any shape with the only requirement being the tape fits entirely on the top of the putter. The tape can entirely cover the top of the putter or cover some lesser amount of the top. It can reach the short edges of the top or in other embodiments only part way to either edge or toward the hosel of the putter. In one embodiment, the tape short edge is a few mm short of the open edge or the putter hosel. Since many putters have the back edge line of the top that is also straight and parallel to the top line, in one embodiment, the back long side edge of the tape is also straight and parallel to the front long side edge. It is clear that the tape does not extend to past the back of the top, does not cover the top line, and does not cover any portion of the face of the putter.

As used herein “selecting a piece of polymeric tape” refers to picking a tape that fits by size and shape on the top of a given golf putter and has the desired design or lack of design on the non-adhesive side. It will have a front long side edge and be no greater in size in any dimension than the surface of the top of the putter. As described above the front long side edge will have a straight edge.

In use, the tape is selected, then the adhesive protective backing removed if used and then by hand, the front long side edge is placed parallel to the top line behind the top line with the adhesive side against the top of the putter. The straight edge can come very close, for example, within a millimeter or so but any distance behind or right at the top line is contemplated by the present invention. The placement is normally by hand as this is a device that will be mostly sold for self application and reapplication to one's clubs though clubs could easily come with one attached. The alignment is therefore done by eyeballing the alignment and placing the front edge all at once or end to end on the top of the club as desired parallel to the top line. Where the back long side edge is also straight on the top of the club and the back edge of the tape also straight, then both edges can be used to visually align the tape. The “design” utilized on the non-adhesive side of the tape can be color, one or more putting alignment marks (which could also be added by hand e.g. with a pen), artistic designs, popular logos, and the like. Once or as the tape is positioned, at least s portion of the tape is pressed on to make sure the adhesive engages the surface of the top of the putter completely. For example, one could run a finger from one short edge to the other short edge while lightly pressing on the tape.

Now referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 a depicts a view of a putter with the protective coating of the present invention. Putter shaft 1 bends into hosel 2 which connects the shaft 1 to the club head 3. The club head 3 consists of a face 4, top 5, and back portion 6. The tape of the present invention is shown as tape 10. The tape 10 is positioned on the top 5 of the club head 3. The tape 10 has a front long side edge 56 positioned a mm or so behind top line 13 and a couple mm in front of back line 15. As can be seen it is positioned a few mm from the distal side of the top 20 and a few mm from the hosel 2. It is clear that other positioning is possible but one can clearly see in this view that the tape 10 is entirely on the top 20 of club head 3 and nowhere else. In this embodiment, it covers less than all of the club head top 10 but could cover all of it in one embodiment.

In this embodiment, there are multiple alignment marks 30 a, 30 b and 30 c. These marks could each be utilized together to help focus on the center of the club or used individually when one wants to hit off center. Clearly, the alignment marks could be placed anywhere along the length of the tape 10 as desired, for example, when hitting off the distal end of the club face 4. The remaining FIGS. 1 b, 1 c and 1 d depict alternate versions of the tape 10 of the present invention. In FIG. 1 b, one can see that the ends 35 of the tape 10 are rounded and not straight as in FIG. 1 a. In addition, there are dots 37 which could be utilized as alignment means or just for decoration. In addition, the width 39 of this version is slightly less than the version in FIG. 1 a.

In FIG. 1 c a tape 10 similar to that in FIG. 1 a is shown except it only has one alignment mark 30 d which is thicker than the line on the club 40, and thus easier to see especially on the top 20 of the club head 3 and closer to where the ball is hit on face 4. In addition, if color is utilized on the tape 10 on the non-adhesive side, it even further accentuates the area making it easier to look at. In this figure the tape has a colored background.

FIG. 1 d shows another version where the tape 10 has a portion of a popular logo 50 on it. This logo 50 can be for entertainment purposes, for identification of the club, or to make it easier to keep the eye on the ball and club head alignment at the same time. Tape 10 in this view is right at the top line 13. In choosing a design, the choice of design would be within the desires of the user. Therefore, in distributing the tape 10 for application to a club, one could select a design (such as a school logo, a color, a picture, etc.) that appeals to the user. In addition, if the ball hits the tape during use by having a design on the non-adhesive side of the tape, evidence of the hit will be more evident since the tape design will be scuffed or torn. In some embodiments, a lighter color, or color in general, is utilized for this effect. After a certain amount of scuffs, the tape can be removed and replaced with a new non-scuffed tape.

FIG. 2 depicts an embodiment of the application of the tape to a club top 20. The tape 10 has been aligned at the distal end 55 with the top line 15 by placing the tape front edge 56 parallel to the top line 13. Applicant's finger 58 is used to apply the tape, keep it aligned, and apply pressure at the same time in order to make sure the tape is firmly attached. Note that since the tape has no notches, grooves, cuts, or the like (i.e. has a smooth straight edge in front and in some embodiments all the way around the edge of the tape) for placing the tape on other than a flat surface, application is much easier than if it needed to be on a curved top line or on a curved club head top. Also, by self applying tape 10, the placement of alignment mark 30 e can be any place desired. This is especially true if the tape is shorter. Once again the mark could be added for example, by indelible marker, pen, or the like or preprinted.

Applicant notes that the application teaches various embodiments and in view of these teachings other embodiments are included and can be utilized by one skilled in the art in view of the teaching. Applicant reserves the right to claim specific embodiments of the present invention, however, that are either in the specification or particular embodiments in the drawings as the invention by either use of comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of language. The claims below are not intended to be limited by the examples unless otherwise so claimed. 

1. A golf putter having straight top line and a protective coating on the top of the putter, the coating comprising: a piece of polymeric tape having a removable adhesive side and an opposing non-adhesive side, the tape adhered to the top of the putter by the adhesive side and having a front long side edge that is straight and positioned parallel to and behind the putter top line, wherein the tape covers at least a portion of the top surface of the putter and no other surface of the putter.
 2. A golf putter according to claim 1 wherein the non-adhesive side has a printed design.
 3. A golf putter according to claim 1 wherein the non-adhesive side has at least one putting alignment mark on it.
 4. A method for providing a golf putter with a straight top line with a protective coating on the top of the putter comprising: a) selecting a piece of polymeric tape having a removable adhesive side and an opposing non-adhesive side and a front long side edge that is no greater in size than the top of the putter; b) positioning the tape on the top of the putter with the adhesive side against a surface of the top of the putter with the front long side edge positioned behind and parallel to the putter top line in a manner that the entire piece of tape is positioned solely on the top of the putter; and c) pressing on the non-adhesive side to engage the adhesive.
 5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the tape has at least one alignment mark on the non-adhesive side.
 6. A method according to claim 5 wherein the alignment marks are positioned at a desired location for off center hitting of a golf ball.
 7. A method according to claim 4 wherein the alignment marks are positioned to aid hitting the ball at the center of a club face. 